Signal transmission through many mediums may be subject to dispersion. For example, for electromagnetic propagation through an optical fiber, the index of refraction of the optical fiber may be frequency dependent over the bandwidth of the propagating signal, so that the signal undergoes velocity group dispersion as it propagates along the optical fiber. Dispersion may cause inter-symbol interference, thereby limiting the information rate unless mitigated.
Signal processing techniques may be utilized at the transmitter, receiver, or both to help mitigate the effects of dispersion. One such signal processing technique is to employ a filter at the transmitter or receiver, sometimes referred to as a channel equalizer. One such example for optical communication over fiber is to utilize a digital filter after a received optical signal is down-converted to an electrical signal, where the digital filter is applied to the in-phase and quadrature components of the electrical signal after analog to digital conversion.
It is desirable to perform such signal processing techniques in a cost-effective manner.